Flash Fanfiction - Episode 11 - The Flashpoint Mistake
by Reign Atkins
Summary: Barry has screwed things up big time, causing a flashpoint... Will things go back to normal? Or is he destined to live with the repercussions of what he has done. What's worse, the Lords of chaos have taken this as the perfect opportunity to strike!
1. Chapter 1

"Barry? Barry are you home?" Iris asked as she entered the door to the apartment that she shared with him.  
"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Barry stopped her at the front door so that she wouldn't spoil her own surprise.  
"What's the big fuss?" she asked with a smile as he covered her eyes. He had slaved all day over preparing the house for his big proposal.

But before he could reveal the surprise to her, her phone went off from in her pocket. She pushed Barry's hand away as she went to answer her phone. "It's dad!" she said.

"Dad? Is everything ok?" she asked as she answered the phone.

As Detective Joe West answered her, she rushed over to turn on the television, bypassing the wine and glasses on the table.

There was a breaking news report. Barry remembered this news report all too well, though it was different. Dr Wells of STAR Labs, along with his two employees Cisco Ramon and Dr Caitlin Snow, were warning of an upcoming meteor shower.

"This is big news!" Iris declared, "I'm heading to work! I need to get the latest scoop!" she kissed Barry and bypassed the wine on the table and ran out the door without looking back, leaving Barry slumped on the couch.

He had been living in this pocket dimension for a while now. Ignorance had been his bliss… Well not so much! There was a STAR Labs, He had Iris, there was a Cisco, there was a Caitlin. Hell! even his parents were still alive and together. But there was no Astrid Sutherland, and while he had even tried numerous times to get her back, he had not had any luck.

This pocket dimension had taken place before he had got his powers, so technically there should have been a Barry of this world… but there wasn't. He was it… and somehow, he still had his powers… and he still had his memories. Those memories haunted him every night when he slept.

It was as if he had screwed up time entirely, and no one else knew but him. A secret he felt that he would need to take to his grave! A burden that rested on his shoulders.

Barry rested his head in his hands and took a sip of the red wine before him. He was startled by the immediate presence of a force of energy in the room. He stood up and looked behind him.

A man that he knew all too well was standing before him. He had dark wavy hair to his shoulders, brown eyes and a look of determination wiped all over his face. He looked up at Barry with a mission and grabbed his arm. "There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere! We need to get you the hell out of here!" the man told him.

Barry was baffled, "Cisco? You're alive?"

Behind the man was a large breech. It had been a while since Barry had seen one of these. The man that was standing before him should have been dead… No… that wasn't true anymore… the guy should have been an employee of Dr Wells and had no idea that Barry even existed… but the meteor shower had not yet occurred, either.

Barry was wrong again! Who was this version of his friend? Barry continued to stare at Cisco waiting for an answer. He thought that he might have been dreaming.

Cisco flicked his hair behind his ear… "Ah crap! I think I got the wrong guy… look man, forget everything that just occurred here…" Cisco went to leave but Barry stopped him.

"No, don't go! If you need a speedster, I'm your guy. I just have no clue what is going on. The last time I saw you… you were dead! Astrid… she is also dead…" Barry explained.

"Look… I'm not that exact guy," Cisco said "… but, you're clearly the guy that I am looking for. We need your help and we have to leave now!"

"What? now? Like now-now?" Barry asked gesturing to the room with the wine and the glasses.  
Cisco took a sip of the wine, "yes, man… now-now! Not two minutes from now, not five minutes from now… You have screwed things up big time and they need to be fixed… NOW!"

This had been the last thing that Barry had anticipated to happen that night. But that's what happened. Barry took one last look around the room of the apartment, and followed Cisco into the breech.


	2. Chapter 2

"Do not fear, Cisco is here!" Cisco declared as he and Barry reached STAR Labs to find Caitlin Snow sitting at the desk waiting for them. They had just come out from the breech in the middle of the room.

"Is that the right one this time, Cisco?" Caitlin asked him, she had clearly been waiting for them.

"This time I am absolutely sure that he is our guy! Well 88% sure… There's a lot of Barry Allen's throughout the multiverse and this is the only guy who even knows the name, Astrid Sutherland!" Cisco explained.

Barry who was standing beside him, still unsure as to what was happening took a look around the office, it was so different to the place he was used to… yet still so similar in the slightest of ways.

Caitlin rushed over to Barry and gestured for him to sit on her med-bay bed as she shone a torch in his eyes and checked his vitals. Cisco stood beside her as they both analyzed him.

"He looks just like our Barry." Caitlin said.  
"Well he is his doppleganger." Cisco said.  
"Does he talk?" Caitlin asked.

Barry removed the light from his eyes. "Is one of you at least going to tell me what the hell is going on here?" Barry asked as he stood back up.

"We will… under one condition." Caitlin said.  
"What's that?" Barry asked.  
"You tell us first!" Cisco answered.

"I don't know what either of you are talking about," Barry replied, truthfully.  
"Of course you don't!" Cisco said, "But you know Astrid…"

"I did know her… But what does she have to do with anything? She died 15 years ago in a car accident." Barry replied.

"In our world, yes… but in your lifetime…" Cisco's voice trailed off.

Barry was confused so Caitlin tried to make things clearer on him. "You see… what Cisco is trying to tell you in his own… little Cisco way… is that just over four years ago a girl named Astrid entered our world. She was looking for her friend… Cisco's doppleganger. She warned Cisco… our Cisco that is… About Dr Wells… She was absolutely correct, he was evil… but his name was actually Eobard Thawne, and he was a speedster… Thing is our Cisco had only just remembered all of this and we have been trying to find this girl to piece all the information together… but it turns out, that her earth was reset… your earth… So then she died… This large turn of events changed the course of time and now it is bringing nothing but chaos."

"If our news is correct… you're at fault!" Cisco replied, "you caused some sort of Flashpoint and now the Lords of Chaos have gotten involved… They blamed our Barry and now our Barry is currently stuck inside some horrible time loop. And unless we sort all of this out… we might never get him back!"

"I'm sorry… what?" Barry asked. He was certain that he had only had one sip of red wine back at the house.

"I understand that all of this is a little hard for you to understand… but we need your help. We are pretty much on our own here and we have no idea where to start…" Caitlin pleaded.

Barry was feeling dizzy. Things were starting to make sense, but at the same time, they didn't. Flashpoint? Lords of Chaos? Everything was starting to sound like something from a comic book series.

But two names that came to mind when he thought of this world were Jamie Reyes and Gypsy. They had stayed behind to help.

"Has it really been four years?" Barry asked them. To him it had only felt like a few months since he had entered that pocket dimension.

"Four years ago, since that girl approached me in Jitters and the first failed attempt with the particle accelerator." Cisco replied.

"So you actually saw her?" Barry asked.  
"I did, or at least I felt like I had dreamt it... until I began to see things for myself in relation to our mentor, Dr Wells." Cisco replied.

Barry wasn't too sure how he felt about all of this. He had been trying to deal with the guilt of her death for a very long time and he would have given anything to bring her back, but he knew that it was impossible. Though maybe this was his way to redeem himself. Maybe this was his second chance.

"Ok, I will help you. What do the two of you need me to do?" Barry asked them.

Relief washed over Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon. They were eager to get started.

"Well first of all, I would like to run a few tests… probably get a blood and urine sample and record how fast you can run…" Caitlin said as she went to gather some equipment.

"I'm sorry. Urine samples?" Barry asked.  
Cisco wore a large grin on his face, "This girl lives for urine samples, I swear…" he said referring to the doctor, who poked him hard in the arm with a pen. "Ouch!" he said as he slapped the pen away.

Barry couldn't help but laugh. These guys were the perfect embodiment of his friends… but it made him miss them all the more… he half expected to see Astrid walk in at any minute, but she didn't.

As Cisco busied himself on the other side of the room, Caitlin poked a needle into Barry's arm. She still had the very same bed manner as the Caitlin he knew. Astrid was the people person, whereas Caitlin always tried to be… but she was all science and cold hard facts.

"I apologize that I have to run all these tests…" she explained, "but we really need to compare them to the results of our Barry. I don't know what we're looking for… or where we have to start, but its chaos outside. We just know that we need to start somewhere."

"Its fine," Barry said truthfully, "back on my earth, I'm used to it… our Caitlin is the same… was the same… I don't know… Cisco too. It's just hard being in a world that is so different and so similar to the life that I'm used to, you know?"

"I'm sorry… But, I really don't. but I can imagine it. Cisco and I have never actually met a doppleganger of ourselves. But hey… they could probably be out there now adding to all of that…" she said gesturing to the window.

"What do you mean? Is it actually that bad?" Barry asked her.  
Caitlin realized at that moment that he had no clue of what lied outside the STAR Labs grounds. It had been a while since she and Cisco had also left the facility.

"Cisco. I think we need to show Barry…" she told her friend.

"No! No Way! Not after last time! You remember what happened last time we opened those doors!" Cisco said. He was adamant.

"We have to, Cisco. We have to start somewhere!" she told him as she stood up and walked over to him.

"How bad can it be?" Barry asked following her.

"Barry…" Cisco began, "It is bad… bad! Picture Doomsday! The end of the world! Have you ever read a comic? You know the ones when the heroes become villains and they wreak havoc too? And just for emphasis the sky is blood red! Yeah, it's THAT bad!"


	3. Chapter 3

"I really can't believe that I let the two of you talk me into this." Cisco said as he walked over to Barry's suit mannequin. "You need to put this on, Barry. I imagine that the sizing should be perfect… and its bulletproof, arrow proof, water proof, shock resistant… you name it… it's got it!" Within a heartbeat, Barry had put on the suit. It fit perfect.

"Caitlin… is your little roommate prepared to make an appearance, if needed?" Cisco asked his colleague.  
She removed her lab coat and was dressed entirely opposite to what Barry's friend Caitlin would wear. It reminded him of Killer Frost. "She sure is." Caitlin said.

"What does he mean by your roommate?" Barry asked her, a little uneasy.  
"I guess you will have to wait and see." Cisco told him, as he zipped up his own leather jacket.

Cisco created a breech from where he stood. "We need to move quick… we don't need anyone getting inside as we travel through." He told them. The three of them stepped through the breech, ready to venture outside.

Barry was astonished and a little scared at the sight that beheld them from outside STAR Labs' walls. It was just as Cisco had warned him. The sky was red. Windows had been either smashed or boarded up from the inside and all around them there was utter chaos, with people fighting each other or running to safety.

Barry took Caitlin and Cisco and hid behind a building to get them out of the way of an array of incoming bullets, which were meant for another person.

"Ok… that's what you meant by bad!" Barry said.  
"It's been like this for a few months now, and with no Flash here… things are a little too much for Caitlin and myself to look after," Cisco replied.

Barry looked at Caitlin and was shocked. "Cisco…that's not Caitlin!" he said, concerned. For her hair had turned white, her skin was pale and her eyes were now the color of ice.

As Barry went to knock her back, Cisco stood in between them. "No, Barry! She is our friend. That's Caitlin's… erm…" Cisco couldn't think of the right word to use.

"I'm Caitlin's better, less whingy side…I'm Killer Frost!" the girl said.  
Barry was having a hard time trusting this version. He had met Killer Frost in his past and things didn't go down too well. Hell, she was even responsible for killing Ronnie Raymond… how would this be any different?

"Look, man!" Cisco told Barry, "I get it, Killer Frost used to be one of the bad guys… but please just put your personal hatred aside for a moment. We need to work together here… and right now… I think we're in trouble." Cisco was watching over Barry's shoulder, so Barry turned around to see an arrow being pointed right at him.

"Oliver…" Barry mouthed silently at the hooded archer who was wielding the bow.  
"I see the speedster has returned…" Oliver said, with his voice disguised, he would not lower his weapon.  
"Hey, look he's not from around here… I promise you, we were just leaving!" Cisco said walking towards him, casually. The arrow did not falter. "You were just leaving? I think not!" he said.

"Now!" Cisco yelled, as Oliver let loose an arrow in Barry's direction. Barry ducked, and Killer Frost shot forth an ice blast in the direction of the archer.

Cisco opened another breech and dragged both Barry and Killer Frost back through it.

"You wanted to see, Barry! Well you saw it!" Cisco yelled, once they had made it back to STAR Labs.  
"But, I know him! I knew him! He was one of my good friends!" Barry declared.  
"Yeah, well now you are nobody to him. He might have been a good guy once… but not anymore… heroes are no longer heroes in this world… and the ones that refused to submit to chaos… well they are all dead! So now you know!" Cisco was really frustrated at that moment.

"Cisco, you need to calm down." Caitlin said, she was now Caitlin again.  
"We were almost killed because you decided that Barry needed to see the chaos for himself! We can't keep being so reckless, Caitlin. We don't want to lose anyone else!" Cisco yelled. He stormed out of the room.

"Wow, that is not the Cisco that I remember." Barry said softly.  
"Well, that's what happens when you lose everyone around you." Caitlin replied using the same tone, "We always thought that he would be the last person to break down. But it's happened. Wells, who was like a father to him, betrayed us. Cisco's entire family was killed… Then Barry… our Barry, got stuck in the time loop, and just recently we lost both Ronnie and Professor Stein. It was actually professor Stein who taught us about the time loop, about flashpoint and the time reset. Cisco feels responsible for everything."

"Wow, maybe I should go and talk with him." Barry told Caitlin.  
"Maybe you should. It's taken him such a long time to find you and he feels that you are our only hope." Caitlin explained.

Barry found Cisco in a quiet office throwing a ball up in the air and catching it again. It surprised him that there were no other STAR Labs employees, but he imagined that they had left when the chaos had started.

"Caitlin just filled me in about everything." Barry said.  
"Yeah, well… that's life, right?" Cisco answered glumly.  
"Did you want to talk about anything? The Cisco that I knew…"

"When are you going to realize that I am not the Cisco that you knew? It is because of you that we are in this mess… that the agents of chaos are knocking at our doors trying to make us succumb to evil and if we're not careful…" Cisco's venting was interrupted by Caitlin who had entered the room.

"You guys… There's someone at the entrance. They're trying to get in to STAR Labs." She told them.

Barry and Cisco immediately ran out to check the security footage. "I know those guys!" Barry said, "That's Reyes and Gypsy. They helped us when we fought Dr Wells and Reverb."

"Another 'I know the arrow', Barry?" Cisco asked, rolling his eyes.

"No… they actually helped, they stayed on this earth, instead of coming back with us." Barry answered, ignoring Cisco's glib response.

Cisco breeched them down to the entrance, where he opened the door for Reyes and Gypsy to enter the facility and then closed it behind them.

"Friend or Foe?" Cisco asked them, holding his hand outstretched, ready to blast them at any moment.

"Friend!" Reyes told them. "I'm sorry, we saw your confrontation with the arrow outside, earlier and realized just who you are… considering there hasn't been a Flash around in a while!"

"We wondered when you would come back, Barry." Gypsy added.

"I'm glad it's the two of you," Barry said, hugging Gypsy and high-fiving Reyes.

"I can't lie, Barry. We came for a reason." Reyes said, "Gypsy and I have been keeping an ear to the ground. These guys bringing you here was a very predictable move to the Lords of Chaos. It will only be a matter of time until they send out their agents after you."

Cisco and Caitlin both groaned. "How would they know?" Barry asked.  
"The lords of chaos are like gods." Cisco explained, "how wouldn't they know?"


	4. Chapter 4

Not very far from STAR labs, in the darkened street, seven figures cloaked and masked in darkness congregated. The leader, a feminine build with only her eyes visible, spoke with her second in command.

"Have you any news?" she asked him.  
"Our archer came to us with some news that you may find intriguing." Her second told her.  
"Bring the archer forth!" she demanded.

Three men whom were also cloaked brought forth the man known as Oliver Queen and threw him to the floor, by her feet.

"You may stand, archer. What news do you bring me? I do hope you are not wasting my time." She bellowed to the man, whose nose was almost in contact with her black booted feet.

"I believe it is, as you had hope, general. The scientists from STAR Labs have a speedster in their midst. He was dressed in a red suit." The archer said as he stood up, his cloak shielding his eyes.

"How is this speedster any different from the rest?" the woman asked him.  
"The mechanical engineer known as Cisco Ramon declared that the man was not from around here. We all know that they have been searching for the speedster that caused the time reset." The archer spoke humbly to his leader.

Though not seen, a smile spread over the woman's face. "Thank you, archer. Mordru will be very pleased to hear this news." She told him as she held out her gloved hand to the man.

Oliver Queen planted a kiss on her knuckles, as one would their queen, and asked her "Would you like me to storm the facility with my men, general? We can capture the speedster for interrogation, at your will."

The leader's second in command gave her a look, which she acknowledged and turned back to the archer. "No, let them create their plans… If they make a move, we will be ready for them. Do you have anything further to add?"

"I do, general. Two of our enemies have joined their team. They go by the names of Reyes and Gypsy." The archer informed her. The general glanced back at her second in command. "It is just as you predicted." She told him. She stared back at Oliver, and then continued, "Thank you… you are dismissed!" Oliver nodded at his leader and took his leave.

"They will be rallying against us, soon enough." Her second told her.  
"Let them come. I await that speedster's return…" she answered him, she left her second and his men and walked off into the darkness.

The team at STAR Labs explained to Barry all that they knew in relation to the Lords of chaos and their agents. "Well we are going to have to assemble our own army." Barry decided. "There is no way that we can let them win."

"Yeah? How do you propose we do that?" Cisco asked, "our servers are down and we are more or less alone in this war."

"Not entirely alone," Gypsy told them. "Over the past few years, Reyes and I have made a few connections with those who follow the magical arts and sorcery. They would be our best chance!"

"That's great!" Caitlin exclaimed excitedly, "But, where are they?"

"They went MIA just a few months back… but they shouldn't be too hard to locate." Gypsy replied.  
"That's great, if we can find them," Barry added, "right now we need all the help that we can get."

As Reyes and Gypsy went to leave the facility, Caitlin went with them to ensure that the doors were properly locked behind them.

"Try as we might, I don't think we can win this one." Cisco muttered under his breath, "I've had enough visions of death to see how things turn out."

"if I have learnt anything from my friends," Barry began, "It's that we will only lose if we don't stand together... and I have no intention on turning my back of any of you."

"I hope you're right, Barry. I really do." Cisco replied as he placed his forehead in his hands, "Because if you're wrong... We're all dead!"


	5. Chapter 5

As the general looked out of a tall tower window, her second approached her. Two days had been and gone and they had not heard a word in relation to the speedster.

Her second in command stood by her side, as custom, as he watched in the direction that she was facing. "There is something on your mind, did things not go well with Mordru?" he asked her.

She looked at him and removed her cloak from her head and pulled down her mask, showing her face to her most loyal, revealing her true identity: Astrid Sutherland. They were finally alone.  
"Mordru threatened me again… I need to know that you will always stand by my side." She told him, "You are the one thing that makes all that I do, worth it… You are the one and only person that I can depend on."

Her second in command removed his cloak, revealing his long dark hair and soft brown eyes. Cisco Ramon. He stroked her cheek and wiped away a tear that sat just below her eye. "You don't need to fear a thing when it comes to how I feel about you… I laid down my life for you once and I would do it again. No matter what comes our way. I love you, and even if I have to kill the speedster myself… I will do that for you… if it will make Mordru spare your life."

"And I for you," Astrid replied as she bit down on her bottom lip. Her mind went back to the moment where she had met the merciless lord of chaos. He had come to her in the image of her father only seconds after Barry had left to reset time.

That same day, that she had lost the last person that she had loved more than anything in the world.

She remembered praying that Barry would succeed in changing time. The thought of her final moments with Cisco still lingered fresh in her mind and heart. She had been desperate to bring him back. She would have given her own life, had he not have not done so, first.

She had stood by the elevator at STAR Labs when the doors had opened in front of her. She could not believe her eyes.

She knew that it was impossible. She had thought that it might have been a doppleganger. But at that moment she didn't care. "Dad!" she had gasped as she ran and hugged the man.

Though he did not return the affections. "Child, I am not your father. I merely possess this image to come to you as a friend to bare news to you." The man had said.

"I don't understand." She had said.  
"You have lost a lot in your life. Your friend Barry Allen, will in fact change time, but in turn. You will die. You will never again meet the man you love. But I am here to offer you the opportunity to grasp everything that you could ever dream of. You could have the ones you love, back in your life… but I need but one favor from you." Mordru had told her.

"One favor? I would do anything to have Cisco back in my life again!" she had said, adamantly.

"All I ask child… is that you take my hand and do as I will." The man who had resembled Robert Sutherland told her, as he had held out his hand to her.

"And you promise that you will bring back Cisco?" Astrid had been hesitant at first.  
"If that is your wish… so be it!" the man replied.

She did not need to think twice. She was still in shock. She had experienced a moment of weakness. The thought of reuniting with the man she loved drove her to agree to the decision.

Cisco had been risen from the dead without any issues or delays. He had all the memories and every scar. It was her best friend and not some doppleganger substitute. This reward was hers for her participation. She was now Mordru's most faithful agent.

Over and over she had been made to commit severe crimes. But never revealing her true identity. Only the merciless Mordru and Cisco Ramon knew her true identity. It had been like this throughout the years.

She had gathered an army, some by mind control and some by choice. Those that had opposed them had been killed. She knew that if she wanted to oppose Mordru that it would cost her the one person that she held most, dear.

She rested her head on his chest and he held her close. At least she could tell him in her mind what the problem was. They spoke silently like this for a few moments when there was a knock at the door.

She adjusted her cloak and her black mask, covering her face, and nodded for Cisco to allow them to enter. Her most loyal assassin entered the room, with her long blonde hair slick and straight behind her. She was dressed in black leather.

"Sarah Lance… What news do you have?" Astrid asked the girl.  
"General, I bring news. Word on the street is that the speedster and his friends have been searching for a woman that we have down in our cells." Sarah Lance said with a smile.

"Which girl?" Astrid asked her.  
"I believe she is a sorceress. She goes by the name of Zatana and gets by on magic tricks." Sarah replied.

"Would you know why they are looking for her?" Astrid asked the assassin.  
"I'm guessing that they are trying to create an army to fight against us. I have come to ask, if you would like me to infiltrate their group. If they are planning a war, this might be our best option." Sarah said.

"I think you might be right. You may do so, miss Lance, and as my most loyal assassin I would prefer you to tell no one of your plan." Astrid permitted.

"I will not fail you, general." Sarah said, as she nodded, turned on her heels, readied her swords and left the room.

"This is the war that Mordru has been waiting for." Cisco told Astrid.  
"It is… and if we fail, you and I both know what is at stake." She replied sadly.  
"I do… and that is why we will not fail." He replied.


	6. Chapter 6

Caitlin alerted Barry to the sound of fighting outside. "I saw her trying to protect someone, I think she opposes the Lords of Chaos as she was fighting their men." Caitlin said referring to the blonde girl who they could see through the STAR Labs security cameras outside.

"Did she really just fight all five of them?" Cisco asked, in awe.  
"Yeah she did. I couldn't believe it when I saw it." Caitlin added, "we need to let her in."

"We can't just let anyone in here," Cisco replied, "even if they do look as cute as her."  
"Cisco's right." Barry replied, "especially when they fight like that…" he said gesturing to the girl on the screen. She was surrounded by bodies lying on the floor at her feet.

The blonde girl looked at the camera screen and waved. She knew that she was being watched.

"The coast seems clear," Caitlin said, "We can breach out there… find out if she is friend or foe."  
"Alright, we will do it," Barry replied. "But we can't let our guards down."  
the three of them entered the breech which took them back outside of STAR Labs, standing right beside the blonde girl.

"Nice power," she commented, "I could have used your help as I took down these guys."

"You looked like you had it handled," Cisco replied.  
"Oh I did… but a little help would have still been nice… The name's Sara Lance… and you are?" she asked, looking at Caitlin.

"I'm Caitlin. This is Cisco and Barry. I apologize. We're all a little hesitant at meeting new people… you can't be too careful." Caitlin explained.

"Trust me, I get that. But right now, we need to work together… not alone. We stand a better chance against these guys if we work in numbers. Because they're not too bright." Sara said as she kicked one of the bodies. The man was still alive, but was badly beaten, so he groaned.

"You don't mind if we run a few tests, first?" Barry asked her, glancing over at Cisco.  
"That depends on the type of tests and who is running them." The girl said.  
Their conversation was interrupted by an arrow that shot past them, just missing Barry's head. He caught the arrow in time.

They looked over to see that Oliver had returned. "Let me take care of this guy," Sara said as she readied her swords and walked up towards him. The two of them engaged in hand to hand combat. They were equally matched.

Barry, Caitlin and Cisco watched in awe. "The girl sure can fight!" Cisco said, "We could use someone with her talents."  
For a moment, Barry found her fighting skills very familiar. He knew who she reminded him of, despite the difference in hair color.

Within moments, Sara Lance had restrained Oliver Queen "Leave now!" she told him, throwing him to the floor. Oliver glared at the girl and went off on his way.  
"You just past the test!" Cisco told the girl, excitedly.  
Sara smiled, "I thought so."

"They call me Canary." Sara explained when the four of them were back inside STAR Labs.

"Where did you learn to train like that?" Barry asked her.  
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you…" She said with a smile.  
Cisco gushed over the strong blonde woman. "Marry me?" he joked.

She laughed, "I'm sorry… Your friend Caitlin is a little more my type, not that I don't mind guys… I just prefer women."

"I'm sorry! What?" Caitlin asked, this had thrown her a little off guard.  
"Don't worry Dr Snow. You're safe, I won't hit on you, unless you ask me to…" Sara said with a laugh. Her bright bubbly manner was a real treat for the group.  
"I er… I'm not really interested," Caitlin said.

"So all introductions aside, we must have some plan…" Sara said, "I mean you guys here at STAR Labs are like sitting ducks. It will only be a matter of time before the Lords of Chaos find you and slaughter the lot of you… I'm surprised that you lasted this long."

"Well STAR Labs is pretty fortified." Caitlin explained, "no one can get through without us knowing."

"So you're happy little sitting ducks?" Sara asked.  
"I'd go with just trying to stay alive, little ducks." Cisco replied.  
"and what of him?" Sara asked, referring to Barry.

"He's just Barry." Caitlin answered. Sara knew that there was a little more to it than that, but she didn't persist.

Barry looked back over at the security cameras, "Hey guys! Reyes and Gypsy are back!" he told them.

"I'll breech them in," Cisco said. Within minutes Jamie Reyes and Gypsy were both standing with the group.

"Word on the street has it that our girl has been locked up at the tower that the Agents of Chaos have taken over." Reyes said.

"We're going to have to get in there and break her out." Gypsy added.  
"Hmm, breaking into the headquarters of evil to rescue a girl that may or may not hold all the answers…. Its suicide," Cisco added, "Count me in…"

Barry and Caitlin both agreed to it too.

"Who's the girl?" Jamie asked, looking at Sara Lance.  
"She's our new friend Sara… Canary was it? you should see her fighting skills." Caitlin replied.

"Good, because we're going to need all the help that we can get!" Jamie said.


	7. Chapter 7

Astrid threw a punch at Malcom Merlyn. He restrained her, threw her into a pole, and she fell to the ground. Malcom helped her back up.

"You're not thinking, general!" he shot at her. "That was a simple maneuver and you failed it."

"You will not talk to your general that way!" Cisco demanded at the man.  
"He's right!" Astrid said as she defended the Dark Archer and head of the league of assassins. "Mordru needs us to be ready. We can't be weakened by emotions, when we know what is at stake. We'll go again!" she said, and they continued their sparring match. Her head hurt and she couldn't move her arm.

A knock at the large door echoed into the room, so her second in-command went to answer it. He arrived a few minutes later, followed by Oliver Queen to find the general very weak. Even with her mask covering her face, it could not be mistaken. She told Malcom to leave the room so she could recover.

"Oliver, do you bring news?" she asked him, through breaths.  
"I do, general. It is about one of your most trusted assassins. Miss Lance has joined the enemy. She fought me in combat and sent me on my way." Oliver declared.

"She fought you in combat? She could have killed you. At least you lived to tell the tale." Cisco joked.  
"He's right. I'm surprised that she spared your life. Are you sure that it was her? That it was not her from an alternate universe?" she asked him.

"I am absolutely certain! I would not lie about something like this. She could destroy our plans entirely. Word has it that they want to rescue the girl from our cells, if that is the case we need to be ready." Oliver said.

"I heard that news, Oliver and I absolutely agree. And we will be ready. But why would this prisoner of ours be of any importance to them? She was just a mere circus magician, if I am correct." Astrid said.

"By your request, I will find out." Oliver said, as he thumbed an arrow between his fingers.  
"You may… but I ask that you keep her alive long enough to get the information out of her. You may take Mr Diggle with you." Astrid permitted.

Oliver left the room and so Astrid and her second were alone again. She sat down on the chair and removed her mask. Her face was bloody and her shoulder had been dislocated.

"You don't need to fight in the battle." Cisco told her as he brought a bandage to her face.  
"Yes I do… Mordru asked for me specifically… and you too. You should be training with your men, not here with me." She said as she tried to move her arm, it wouldn't move.

"It's not myself that I am worried about. You forget that I receive visions of the future. How do you think you will go, going up against him? He was our best friend once and you will need to fight him." He asked her.

"I simply think of Mordru's words. If I don't stop the speedster, and all those he gathers in his army… then I may as well say goodbye to you now. Besides, Barry was our friend four years ago… a lot can change in that amount of time. Now go train, and bring me my doctor."

He left and a few minutes later, her most trusted doctor came to her with bandages for her face and the determination to set her arm. This was the Caitlin that would have been her friend, had Astrid not have died in Barry's time reset. But this doctor did not know that.

"Your arm looks really bad, general." Dr Snow said.  
"So just put it back in place and leave me be." Astrid replied.  
Caitlin offered her some pain relief, but she refused, then she set her arm.  
Astrid swore under her breath at the pain, but then breathed through it. The pain eventually subsided.

"I would very much recommend that you don't train yourself to death, general." Dr Snow said, on her way out.

"Duly noted, now you may go." She answered.

Before Dr Snow left, she stopped and needed to ask. "I need to know… Why did you hire me for the job? You came to my earth with that speedster Thawne and your second in command and saved me from those people. You were looking for me specifically… why?"

Dr Snow sure enough had seen her real face, but she had not known who she was. Astrid needed to give her an answer, one that would not confuse the girl. "I hired you because… because you're an amazing doctor… and I need only the best… that's all." It wasn't technically a lie. She was the best doctor that Astrid knew.

Once Caitlin had left her alone, she felt the presence behind her immediately and turned to see the image of Robert Sutherland. Over the past few years she had come to recognize this image, though not as her father, but as the embodiment of Mordru.

"You are certainly not yet ready for battle, child. Your emotions still haunt you and that will be your undoing, unless you take control now. You are weak and we do not need weakness in this battle. Your doctor is right to question why you chose her. She is a link to your past. How do you expect to carry out my plans, if you still have those links?" Mordru questioned her.

"No, you are wrong. I swear, Dr Snow is just a great doctor. We need the best! I promise you that there is nothing more to it, than that." Astrid argued, submissively. The lord was threatening to extinguish Dr Snow from their existence.

"So be it. But you promised me nothing but strength. If you do not deliver on your end of the bargain, it won't just be Dr Snow that's life will be on your hands." Mordru boomed at her.

Astrid fell to her knees. "No please, I will deliver… I will… I promise!" she begged, but Mordru had already disappeared.


	8. Chapter 8

"Are we all ready?" Barry asked.  
"I don't think we're ever really ready to creep into the lion's den." Reyes said, "but what choice do we have?"

"None at all." Cisco replied, "But we aren't entirely defenseless. If any of us get into any real trouble, Barry and I can both get us all out quickly."

"The lot of you are all thinking of this the wrong way," Sara said, "I'm prepared to fight. Gypsy can camouflage into anything and Killer Frost can freeze them all to hell. We get in, get the girl and get the hell out of there!"

"Well as much as I admire your enthusiasm, we don't exactly know where they are keeping her." Caitlin said.  
"Leave that to me." Sara said, "Hey, Cisco you said you had some gear that might work so we can keep in contact."

"I sure do. This tech felt a little primitive to work with, but you just slip them into your ear and we can keep in contact without the use of the server networks… which may be better in the long run… it reduces our chances of being overheard." He handed each of them an inconspicuous ear plug each.

Barry disappeared for a split second and returned with sets of black cloaks that resembled those worn by the followers of the Agents of Chaos. "We will need to put these on if we don't want to be spotted right away." He told them.

"Good idea, Barry." Caitlin said.  
The six of them put on their cloaks and Cisco breeched them a few streets away from the tower.

Barry left immediately, as did Reyes and Gypsy in their own direction, leaving Cisco to work with Caitlin and Sara.

"Great!" They heard Barry mutter, sarcastically, under his breath.  
"What's the matter?" Caitlin asked.  
"I just spotted Thawne." He said softly.

Caitlin, Cisco and Sara joined a crowd of followers that were gathered into a large hall. Sara seemed to know just where she was headed. In the hall a man made a speech declaring the war against the Agents of Order.

"The agents of Order?" Cisco repeated the words, a little confused.  
"They oppose the Agents of Chaos." Sara said.  
"Yeah, I assumed so. How have I never heard about them until now?" he asked.  
"You have been living under a rock like a safe little duck." Sara answered.

He nodded and they crossed the room, making haste for a door to the back with Sara leading the way. The narrow door led to a dimly lit stairwell, one set of stairs went up, while the other went down.

"Someone's coming." Caitlin said as she directed her attention to the stairs that led upwards. Sure enough there were multiple footsteps padding down the stairs.  
The three of them went down the stairs and hid in the darkness, listening to the voices that came down the other set.

"My general, the masses are gathered down in the hall ready for you to deliver your speech. They will be going out to fight tonight and wish for something inspirational." The second in command said.

"I hate public speaking. You of all people should know that. But nonetheless, I have something prepared." The general replied.

Sara tried to lead Caitlin and Cisco down the stairs, but while Caitlin freely went, Cisco stood still, listening. He stayed in the shadows and watched as the general and her second went out through the door that led to the hall.

"What are you doing, Cisco?" Caitlin whispered once the door had closed behind the couple. Cisco looked at her. "Caitlin… I know who they were."

Sara furiously grabbed Cisco and dragged him down the stairs, almost tripping him up. "Do you want to get caught?" she asked him angrily, once she knew they had reached the next door.

It was something about the way that Sara had grabbed at Cisco, that he received a vibe, that just maybe Sara Lance could not be trusted. Nonetheless, he kept his mouth shut. Now was not the time to take any action and do anything drastic.

Sara led them down to the final floor, where two guards stood at the door.  
"It is me Sara Lance, the general sent me down here." she said, removing her cloak and staring at the guards.

Cisco felt a pure rage for trusting her, but felt that maybe she had something up her sleeve. He took hold of Caitlin's wrist, ready to breach out of there at any moment. But then the guards asked Sara, "Who are your friends?"

Sara smiled at the guards and removed Cisco's cloak. "My friend is in fact, the general's second in command… so you should most probably let us through now." The girl said, beaming.

The guards let them through without hassle and even bowed their heads slightly towards Cisco.

Once the doors had closed behind them, and they had entered a large corridor with at least seven doors on each side and a far door at the end. Cisco let Sara have it. "I can't believe you never told us that you used to work here!"

"It worked, didn't it?" she snapped back.  
"You guys… we need to stop fighting right now and…" Caitlin's voice said and then trailed off as she pointed to the room up ahead. They looked in the distance to see that the door that was partly opened, to the end room.

They could see a dark haired girl bound and gagged to a chair and two men seemed to be threatening her. They instantly recognized one of the men… Oliver Queen.

"Do you think the 'second in command' plan will work this time?" Cisco asked.

"Probably not this time." A confident and cocky voice spoke behind them. They turned to see just who had spoken. The second in command was standing in front of them, he removed his cloak and behind him stood the general. Cisco gaped in shock at his doppleganger.


	9. Chapter 9

Barry had dropped his ear plug within the fight with Eobard Thawne. He hadn't expected to see the reverse flash, much less the one who had helped him go back in time and save his mother. Thawne had promised to go back to his own earth, but now here he was and he had duped Barry again.

Barry had been tied to a chair, and the bounds that had him, had dampened his powers. "Why are you doing this, Thawne?" Barry asked as he tried to struggle free.  
"You really don't know, Barry?" Thawne mocked. "You haven't yet begun to fathom, true misery. Just wait until you see what The Agents of Chaos have in store for you."

"Why? What do you mean? What are they going to do?" Barry asked.  
"I am not going to give up my general's surprise for you… you will just have to wait and see." Eobard said with a sinister smile across his face.

The man cocked his head to the side, and Barry realized that he was wearing a wireless receiver in his ear. He was listening to someone speaking on the other end.  
"Ok, well I have the speedster here… yes… I will be right there…" Eobard said to the voice on the other end. Within seconds he was gone.

Barry tried to phase his arms free from the bindings, but he had no luck. Then he tried to twist his wrists free. That was just as useless, he was stuck.

"Barry!" he heard Caitlin's voice from behind the door that Eobard had left through. "Caitlin? Is that you?" he asked. To his relief, Cisco, Caitlin and Sara had found him. They entered the room.

"We need to get you out of here." Cisco said.  
"I know just the way," Sara replied, as she begun to untie Barry. "But we need to hurry… they will come back!" Caitlin seemed a little uneasy with the whole ordeal. "Are you alright, Caitlin?" Barry asked her.

"I'm… I'm fine… we just need to get you out of here!" She said.  
"Have you heard from Reyes and Gypsy? We can't just leave them, did you guys find Zatanna?" Barry asked.

"Man, you ask a lot of questions." Cisco replied. "Let's just do this the hard way… Sara!"  
The minute Cisco asked, Sara knocked Barry over the back of the head and threw him over her shoulder.

"Did you need to hurt him like that?" Caitlin asked.  
"We need to take him down to the cells with the rest of his friends. The General will be waiting for them." Cisco replied. "Ah, Sara… it might be an idea to put those binds back on him… It will stop him regenerating as fast."

Sara did as she was instructed and they left the room, making their way towards the cells.

"They've taken him to the cells," Eobard told the general. As she waited in the hall. "It was a brilliant idea for you to use Mr Ramon and Dr Snow to lure him in. But why didn't you let me kill him?"

"Barry Allen lets his love for his friends rule his head. He is also very powerful. He might be a valuable asset to us… though if that plan fails, I will not hesitate to kill him myself." She replied.

"Are you sure you have it in you to do so?" Thawne asked her, hoping to throw her off guard.  
"I've killed before… Barry would just be another number." She replied.  
Malcom Merlyn approached her, "I heard that you requested me."

"Yes, I did. I would like another sparring match. I failed last time, and this time I don't intend to. I am ready to use all of my abilities… if you can handle it." Astrid stated.

"Be my guest, general." Malcom said, this time handing her a sword. They found their space in the middle of the great hall and gave a slight bow. "Ready, general?" Malcom asked.

Astrid didn't wait for him to say 'GO'. Instead she ran immediately towards him and probed his thoughts. His mind was clear. His moves were instant. But then so were hers. She dodged and attack and brought the blade of her sword up to his stomach in one swift move.

He staggered, but he did not fall. As Malcom went to bring a crippling blow to her, she let out a scream from in her mind, directly at her opponent.

He tried to ignore it, but it distracted him enough for her to bring her blade to his left leg. It hit his femur and brought him down. Though not entirely. He swung out and she let out another mind scream, this time, so curdling that a little blood trickled out of his right ear.

She brought her blade back up, she stabbed him in his other leg. He was brought down to his knees, and as he tried to bring the sword into her stomach, she dodged the blow and kicked him to the face, bringing him down. She held her blade to his throat and pressed it firmly.

"Thank you, teacher…" she said, though before she could finish her kill, her second in command interrupted her. "General. Barry Allen is in the cells with his friends."  
Astrid stared down at Malcom Merlyn, "You're safe this time, Malcom. At least I will not have to find another teacher, for the moment…" she said.

She removed her blade from Malcom's neck and helped him to his feet, then turned to Cisco. "Do you have all of them in custody?"  
"We do now. Gypsy was a little hard to find, but I remembered that she can camouflage… They weren't too far from where we found the other Cisco and Caitlin. You were right about appointing Sara Lance to infiltrate their group. She was a great help!"

Astrid nodded and followed Cisco and Eobard Thawne to the cells. Along the way, they bypassed Oliver Queen and Mr Diggle. Who were standing by an unconscious Zatanna. "did you manage to find out what she was hiding?" Astrid asked them.

"I think we're looking for a man by the name of John Constantine… but she wouldn't say why." Mr Diggle said.  
"Constantine?" Astrid repeated.  
"I knew the name," Oliver replied. "the man deals in magic… could be one of her lovers, but I already appointed my wife, Felicity into locating him."

"Good work, Mr Queen… Remind me to promote you later." The general said, she then left to go and visit her newer prisoners.

She spotted Barry Allen unconscious in his cell, before he spotted her. His friends called at her. They had no idea who she really was with her mask and cloak on. She ignored their words and stared at Barry.

There was a pinching feeling inside of her. He had been one of her best friends for a long time. But that was a long time ago. He had not done anything to hurt her, yet she needed to hate him. She was Mordru's agent. And Mordru was far more powerful than any of them.

Her second in command rested his hand on her shoulder, clearly he could tell the predicament that she was in. Astrid took a deep breath and screamed in her mind to Barry, startling him to wake him up and look at her.


	10. Chapter 10

Barry awoke, completely startled by the mind scream. It was clear that he had been the only one who had heard the blood curdling scream, in his mind. He had been moved to a prison cell with his friends, who were currently all unconscious, where he was currently bound and his powers were dampened… Only Sara Lance was no longer with them, it was clear that she had betrayed them.

She was standing, with a smug smile, on the other side of the bars with… Cisco's doppleganger and what seemed to be the general and head Agent of Chaos. The general was wearing a cloak and a black mask over her face. From her figure, he could tell that it was a woman. There was something about her that was strangely familiar… though that would be impossible.

Cisco's doppleganger seemed to know Barry. Maybe it was Reverb, considering Eobard was also on this earth. The two of them had worked together in betraying he and his friends before.

But Barry's eyes couldn't be moved from the general. He could barely see her eyes, but he knew that she was staring at him with great intent. "Who are you?" he asked the general.

Though she did not answer him. "Is it possible that I know you, from some other time?" he persisted.  
The general looked at her second in command and left the prison cells, leaving Cisco's doppleganger and Sara alone with the prisoners.

"You betrayed us, Sara Lance!" Barry told her angrily.  
"No, I simply carried out my general's plans… I forgot to mention that I am an assassin. My mission always come first!" she told him.

"The canary could have killed you, Barry." The man that Barry had thought was Reverb, said. "But we simply had her bring you here."

"What do you want with us?" Barry asked him.  
"It's not them, that we were after. It was you, Bar… Specifically you!" Cisco said to him menacingly.  
"Why are you talking to me as if you were my friend? My best friend wouldn't do this. What happened to you Cisco? And why me specifically, and not some other Barry?" Barry asked him.

Cisco realized that he had tripped up over his words, by calling him 'Bar'. Sara looked at him as a warning to not give up any secrets. "Because you hold the answers, Barry Allen. Because of you The Lords of Chaos were able to step in and take control of the chaos that you caused. It gave them a foot in the war over the Lords of Order. And you are going to continue to help us! You have no choice. You either submit or die. There is no alternative."

"But, why me? Why not some other Barry Allen? I'm certain that I am not the only Flash throughout the multiverse." Barry said.  
"There is so much that you still don't know… for a smart man, you clearly aren't all that bright. You created an anomaly, and then you almost destroyed it. That was not the first time that you have gone back through time, Barry." Cisco said.

Sara Lance cleared her throat for Cisco to stop. She stared at him. "The general won't approve if you continue. You should leave."  
He knew that she was right. "Canary, you and Thawne need to stay here and guard them. Barry will be planning on a way to get out, as we speak. Don't allow for anyone else to come down here, without the general's or my permission. And if they try to escape… you know what to do, we can't let them foil Mordru's plans."

Sara nodded at Cisco, and pulled out one of her swords. "You know that you can count on me."

This was the first time that Barry had noticed that Eobard Thawne was standing in the room behind Sara. "Thawne, you tricked me!" Barry yelled at him.

Thawne stepped forward, "I did… and it was just so easy, Barry Allen. I just had to pull a couple of strings, free Grodd and dangle the hope that your mother could survive in front of your face and you did as I asked, simply… I suppose it helped that the one person that you listened to above all, lost the love of her life. But there are casualties in every war. Besides you reset that clock backwards."

"You're just a pawn! And you all expect me to join you! I won't do it!" Barry yelled. His friends began to awake in the cell around him.  
Sara and Eobard both smiled. "You don't get it, Barry." Sara chimed in. "You really don't have a choice. Mordru has the power to influence emotions… He will make you WANT to do it!"

"Sara! That is enough!" The general demanded as she reentered the room. Barry knew instantly the voice of the woman. His suspicions were confirmed when she removed her cloak and mask and looked at him.

"Hi, Barry. Remember me?" Astrid asked with a side smile, that he had remembered all too well throughout his memories.

"Astrid!" Barry gasped.


End file.
